June Good Dinner: Juniper {A Southern Table and Bar}

From the President:

I was a bit leary of Juniper {A Southern Table and Bar}. Another officer of Good Dinner Club had expressed a desire to eat there so I had already checked out the menu a few months beforehand. Nothing really sounded good on the on-line menue so I was not very excited about trying the fairly new (or renewed) restaurant. I was really pleasantly surprised at the sophistication of the food being offered and how delicious it was.

Parking was easy enough. Even though it was just street parking, there were plenty of spaces available. The atmosphere of the interior of the restaurant was not remarkable on first glance. However, as diners had time to examine the restaurant, they noticed the unique art on the walls and the southern details. Unfortunately, the cotton blooms that served as centerpieces at the table did not go over well with our African-American diners and we asked our server to take ours away. Cotton has an association with the history of slavery that is not so comforting to all of us. Southern comfort was not quite achieved but if the restaurant was going for more avant garde effect to go with the art on the walls, then that was accomplished. Diners gave Juniper 3 1/2 spoons for having a good atmosphere.

Our server was very nice and the staff overall was very accommodating. I think diners felt service was a bit slow, but we were having a good time so I did not mind so much. Diners gave Juniper 3 1/2 spoons for good service.

The menu was not any more appetizing when I arrived than it had been on-line months before. Even worse, the waittress announced at the outset that no mashed potatoes were available, an important accompaniment to fried chicken in my opinion. However, there were also small treats that were not on the menu that were just as delightful such as the ramp butter. Furthermore, just about everything that I ate was really really good. I got some sort of fried shrimp for an appetizer that was out of this world! My fried chicken was good as were my greens. However, the greens tasted as if they had been cooked with maple syrup. Although I understand that typical southern style is to add some sugar to everything, I really hate the flavor of maple syrup so I did not love them. Diners seemed so pleased with the bread basket that I had to order at least just one biscuit to try with the delicious ramp butter. The drinks were really really tasty and I felt Juniper gave us a decent serving of alcohol in each cocktail. Diners gave Juniper almost 4 1/2 spoons for excellent food!

Overall we had a good experience and a good meal. I would definitely return but there is not anything that I have to have again as soon as possible. Overall, diners gave Juniper almost 4 spoons for being a really good restaurant.

May Good Dinner: Small Batch Whiskey and Fare

From the President:

I served as host this month and chose Small Batch Whiskey and Fare. It is a relatively new restaurant and is part of the Bailey's family of restaurants so I figured it would be good. I'm not sure at what point I figured out that it was "quietly vegetarian" but I did not immediately notice as there were quite a few things on the menu that sounded good.

The restaurant is located in mid-town but parking was really not an issue. I think there was plenty of street parking close by and no one had to walk very far. The restaurant is starkly decorated in black and white. It is warmed a little with the vintage pictures on the walls. As a diverse group, however, it was noted that there was no diversity in the people in the photographs which is always a little disappointing. Diners gave Small Batch an average of 4 spoons for good atmosphere.

I felt that for the most part the waitress was attentive and pleasant. I did feel that she became less attentive towards the end of the meal. A few diners had asked for their checks so I'm sure she thought we were leaving but the rest of us wanted to continue to drink and talk. She also brought the checks out before offering dessert which is always a miss. A few diners, however, felt the service was disappointing overall: slow and inattentive. Apparently the waitress had to be reminded to take some of the menus away and to refill the water glasses. Diners gave Small Batch 3 spoons for fair service.

I thought the food and drinks were excellent! Everything I had was delicious and full of flavor. The frito misto was great with the tempura batter and the accompanying sauces were tasty, especially the garlic aioli. My pasta was wonderful. I always love fresh pasta and the lemon sauce is right up my alley. My only complaint is that the chef seemed to be pretty heavy handed with the pepper. One diner ordered the curry potato soup and could not eat it because it was so spicy. I had to make a real effort to avoid all of the pepper over my pasta dish. Certainly there was some grumbling once everyone realized that the restaurant was vegetarian but I thought everyone enjoyed their food. Diners gave Small Batch 4 spoons for good food.

Overall, we certainly had a good time at Small Batch and I think the majority of us enjoyed our food but would have liked the addition of some meat to the menu. I enjoyed it so much that I have already been back. Diners gave Small Batch 3 1/2 spoons overall; a fairly good restaurant.